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Entanglement devices
Entanglement devices are a form of defence used by competitors in Robot Wars, first legalised in Series 10 in response to the dominance of spinning weapons in Series 9. They also made limited appearances in Extreme Warriors: Season 2 and earlier series of the UK Robot Wars, despite the devices being considered illegal in the latter. Entanglement devices come in various forms, including loose ropes, wires and chains, including other forms which are now deemed illegal such as cloth. They are designed to immobilise spinning weapons, and protect the user from those weapon types. Definition An entanglement device is a sacrificial addition to a robot which is easily absorbed by spinning weapons, and can consist of forms such as rope and cloth. If the entanglement device is successful, it should cease the function of spinning weapons such as bar spinners and drums upon contact by jamming it, or absorbing blows. However, it cannot consist of low-tech devices such as a fishing net, cables or mesh. Legal entanglement devices cannot exceed 1m in length, nor can it attach the opponent to the competing robot. The entanglement device must be designed specifically to combat spinning weapons. Restrictions According to the Robot Wars build ruleshttp://www.robotwars.tv/media/1462/robot-wars-build-rules-v3-3.pdf, an entanglement device must adhere to the following rules: *'Separation': Entanglement devices must not cause two or more robots to be entangled together to the point where a battle requires intervention in order for it to continue. *'Materials & Construction Type': Any entanglement devices constructed with rope, wire, chain and similar materials may not be interlaced or woven. Nets, cloth, chainmail and similar are prohibited. *'Maximum Length': The maximum permitted length of rope, wire, chain and any similar materials is 1m. Advantages and Disadvantages Advantages *Entanglement devices, when successfully used, directly counter one of the most successful and damaging weapon type in modern Robot Wars - spinners. They can result in the spinner jamming if they are snagged, rendering the weapon ineffective, such as when the steel hoops of Thor disabled the bar spinner of Cathadh. *The absorption of entanglement devices can cause other kinds of damage beyond spinner failure. For example, Gabriel 2's ropes succeeded in seizing Aftershock's weapon motor and ripping out some of its internal wiring once the latter's disc snagged them.Team Aftershock Reddit AMA, 30th October 2017 *Devices such as rope and chains can be applied to a robot externally, making them easily to affix and replace. *Being an inactive addition to a robot, potentially made from soft material, entanglement devices do not contribute heavily to a robot's weight. *Most entanglement devices are inexpensive, and require little-to-no engineering to apply. *There are occasions where entanglement devices can be used offensively; the bolts applied to Gabriel 2's entanglement device immobilised Big Nipper in battle. *Entanglement devices were a new addition to robotic combat, and are generally not applied to robots in battles that do not involve spinners, adding a surprise factor to each device. *The debris created by entanglement devices can halt the movement of the opponent's wheels on the arena floor, as seen when Iron-Awe 6's entanglement cannons left enough debris on the floor to immobilise Tauron. Disadvantages *Entanglement devices designed to combat one form of spinner, such as a horizontal flywheel, may not work for different spinners such as a vertical disc. *The rules on entanglement devices are stringent, leading to the potential rejection of devices, or penalties for unapproved usage. Bulldog Breed was penalised in Series 7 for placing mesh underneath its flipper to protect its valves, which fell out during battle. *An entanglement device used by a robot with a spinner of its own risks jamming their own weapon. As a preventative measure, Team Ballistix removed the straw hair from Donald Thump before battles due to concerns that it would get caught by the robot's bar spinner. *Robots and weapons designed purely to entangle spinners, such as Skye, have little in the way of offensive output. *Certain entanglement devices, such as the hair of Milly-Ann Bug, are flammable. *The effectiveness of entanglement devices can be compromised by the durability of the mechanisms holding them. For example, the devices attached to Crackers could not entangle any spinners, as the metal its chains were attached to could be easily ripped away by vertical spinners, such as the discs of Aftershock and Big Nipper. *Although the debris created by entanglement devices can hinder the movement of opponents, a similar threat is posed to the initial user of the device. List of robots with entanglement devices Robots are listed alphabetically. Trivia *The fur of Nemesis, Diotoir, Killerkat and Bee-Capitator had the ability to entangle spinners, but did not officially qualify as entanglement devices, as they were purely decorative by intention. *The coil found in the centre of Mousetrap was also added only for aesthetic purposes, but briefly disabled the vertical spinner of S3 after its absorption. *In Series 6, Thor had pieces of fur lining its sides and pieces of cloth around its hammer head. Although neither were intended to be used as entanglement devices, the fur succeeded in seizing Tornado's drum during their second-round battle.http://www.teamtornado.co.uk/rwd15.htm *The Robot Wars website claims that the hand-shaped lifter of HIGH-5 could entangle spinners, but this was not proven when given the opportunity. *Destruct-A-Bubble intended to use a "hairnet" as an entanglement device, but this was illegal at the time, and could not use the hairnet. *Bulldog Breed added a mesh for Series 7 as protection for its cylinders. During its first battle, the mesh fell out and ultimately sparked controversy, as it was perceived to be an entanglement device and illegal at the time. After the team explained what the mesh was for, they were given the benefit of the doubt, but had to remove it for the rest of the competition. References Category:Weapon Types Category:Terminology